Minas Mellon
Minas Mellon was one of the fortresses towering above Lond Daer.It fell into ruin with the city herself. The Beffraen had been digging in these ruins. The accursed city of the hated Sea Lords remained an obsession with their Conjurers through the centuries. Bands of Beffraen drifted out of the Eryn Vorn to the tumbled stones, performing certain rites to garner power from the fallen city of the ancient Sea Kings. One of their Witches was stricken by an ugly curse and became entombed here to await death. Aside from the unpleasant presence of the Nurga—the creature that was once the Beffraen magician—there was little of interest remaining in Minas Mellon. The ruins had been explored by many over the centuries. First Level I. Diggings. A pseudo Pukel-man four feet down marks the bottom of the Beffraen diggings; collapsing sand marks the entrance to Minas Mellon. 2. Entry Tunnel. 2' high and 1.5' across, the tunnel must be traversed on hands and knees. The passage soon divides. 3. Cave. To the right the tunnel emerges into a small cave, part of whose walls were worked. 4. Diggings. Some explorers attempted to dig here long ago; a rusty shovel head remains in their hole. 5. Small Cave. The floor is littered with a line of five Beffraen totems facing a pile of rocks at the rear of the cave. 6. Rock Pile. The pile of rocks is cunningly but crudely fit together; it is only Routine to discern that this is very recent construction. It will be several hours work to remove the block- 7. Stairs. The rocks seal off a short stairway going down. 8. Corridor. A long corridor leading south. Looted; even the torch holders have been removed. 9. Passage. A side passage headed west. 10. Chamber. A pentagonal room; the sensitive might guess that this was once a shrine. The Nurga avoids this level for that reason. 11. Chamber. A small room, empty, of unknown usage. 12. Chamber. A very small room, perhaps a servant's quarters. The Beffraen have left small votive figures, in vague animal shapes, for the Nurga's lucid periods. 13. Passage. Another side passage that has largely collapsed. The site of unsuccessful diggings; at the very far end ofthe tunnel lies a silver belt buckle worth about 10 sp, and enough loose chain links for a large shirt,. Apparently someone got stuck once. 14. Stair. Large stairway going down. Lower Level I. Stair. The stairway from the upper level (#14). 2. Arrow Slits. Located at the bottom of the stairs. 3. PooL A large, water-filled hole in the floor, about 2' deep. There is a small crevice, Hard to find, on the western side, just big enough for a slender arm to probe. This is the home of a very unhappy and very hungry eel. 4. Passage. The main passageway, similar to the floor above. 5. Guardroom. The old guardroom for the stairway. A pile of seaweed provides a bed for the Nurga. 6. Rubble. Fallen from the ceiling. 24' 36' 7. Guardrooms. The Nurga will be hiding in one of these rooms, regardless of his present condition. Otherwise quite bare. 8. Rubble. The ceiling has fallen, blocking most ofthe corridor here. 9. Passage. A narrow (2') passage through the rocks. 10. Chamber. The passage opens up into a narrow chamber. 11. Pool. A small pool of fetid water, its surface even with the floor. The pool is about four feet deep. 12. Passage. A narrow underwater passage, heading east, no longer identifiable as part of the keep's sewage system. 13. Cave. After ten feet, the passage opens up on the right (south) into an underwater cave. Groping about on the floor might be rewarded with the blade of a magical dagger. 14. Passage. The underwater passage continues east for 10' beyond the cave. 15. PooL A pool, similar to that above (#11), opening into another set of chambers. The air is very bad here, twice as debilitating as that in the Minas Iaur . It will be difficult to light a torch. 16. Crawl Space. A crawl space along the western edge of a largely fallen corridor. 17. Chamber. After 30' the ceiling rises to 5' and the corridor enters a large room. 18. Rubble. A completely collapsed corridor. 19. Collapsed Corridor. A smaller fallen passageway, one that was once secret. If the means) can be found to clear 5' of rubble, the passage turns down and southward to eventually reach the wine cellar of Tiras Maegthil The tunnel is marked on the area map. From Tiras Maegthil, a sewer passage leads all the way to Aldarion's house. 20. Chamber. A large chamber, possibly an officer's room; it has been stripped bare. Lights go on in the ceiling whenever someone feels the need for them. 21. Secret Door. On the west side of the chamber there is a Very Hardto find secret door. Its traps are no longer functional, but similar decay in the lock makes it Extremely Hard (-30) to open. 22. Secret Room. A substantial secret room, probably a trysting chamber. The original salvagers cleared the place out, but they neglected the inlaid tiles on the floors and the fine mirrored tiles on the walls and ceiling. If carefully removed, these could be worth up to 800 gp. Ancient music plays here whenever someone thinks a random romantic thought. A bard who studies the songs of this chamber for several hours will expand his musical knowledge. References *MERP:Arnor Category:Tower Category:Ruin Category:Cardolan Category:Minhiriath